Our Pastor
Dr. John DeVar Tolbert, B.S.W., M. DIV., D. Min.,
In 2011, Rev. Dr. John D. Tolbert became the eighteenth pastor of Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. Prior to this calling, he served as Senior Pastor at People’s Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Tolbert’s focus for Trinity Church is to lead its members in Exalting the Savior, Equipping the Saints and Evangelizing the Sinners; while challenging her to be the best church for the community. Dr. Tolbert encourages the Trinity Family to be an intentional intergenerational church with big arms and a loving heart.
In addition to Senior Pastor at Trinity, He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate Theological Seminary. His areas of focus include New Testament Survey, Old Testament Survey, Introduction to Evangelism and Spiritual Formations. Dr. Tolbert is a retired chapel director for the O.H. Pye III Funeral Home in Detroit.
Dr. Tolbert serves as an instructor for The National Baptist Congress of The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., Dean of the Wolverine State Congress of Christian Education and First Vice Moderator for the Crystal Lake Missionary Baptist District Association. He also currently serves as General Secretary for the Kingdom Alliance Covenant Fellowship, Chaplain for the Detroit Police Department and a member of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit & Vicinity. Previously, Dr. Tolbert served as Youth Evangelism Specialist for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (Southern Baptist State Convention) and has facilitated and lectured at various conferences and seminars across the country and in foreign territories including; Nassau, Bahamas; Exuma, Bahamas; Ghana, West Africa and even the Holy Land - Jerusalem.
Dr. Tolbert is equally involved in civic organizations. Under his leadership, Dare to Dream Pontiac was formed. A non-profit, 501c3 community development cooperation that partners with community organizations to revitalize the City of Pontiac through programs focusing on education, health and youth retention. One of its partners includes the Detroit Lions Alumni Association, where together they host an annual summer camp for skill development. He is also a passionate Lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Dr. Tolbert has completed graduate and post-graduate studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky where he earned both a Master of Divinity with emphasis in Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth (2002) and a Doctor of Ministry in Church Growth & Leadership (2015). He has a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Western Michigan University (1999).
Dr. Tolbert is married to the former Ashley DeShon Wade.
